Some engines use fuel injection systems to introduce fuel into the combustion chambers and/or a regeneration system of the engine. The fuel injection system may be any one of various types of fuel systems and may include, within the system, a number of fuel injectors. Among the various valves controlling the flow of fuel, a fuel injector may include at least one solenoid operated valve assembly. A solenoid operated valve assembly may include a solenoid and an associated valve. The solenoid may include a solenoid coil, a stator that acts as a magnet when the solenoid coil is provided with current, an armature, and a biasing or return spring. The armature is movable relative to the stator to actuate the valve.
A solenoid operated valve assembly may cause the operating temperature of the fuel injector to rise higher than desired, particularly in view of higher fuel pressures utilized in the fuel injection systems. In some instances, without some dedicated means for cooling engine system components, in particular, fuel injector components, operation of the fuel system and associated engine system may be sub-optimal, or even compromised altogether.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,172 (the '172 patent), issued on Aug. 19, 2003 in the name of Green et al. and assigned to BorgWarner Inc., discloses one example of an apparatus for cooling a solenoid operated valve. The '172 patent discloses a solenoid operated exhaust gas recirculation valve which is mounted to an engine component via a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket functions as a heat sink to siphon heat from the valve and distribute to other engine components. Although the mounting bracket in the '172 patent is adjacent the solenoid operated valve, it is not situated to provide any heat dissipating effect for a solenoid operated assembly associated with a fuel injector. Furthermore, the positioning of the mounting bracket in the '172 patent is cumbersome and requires additional mounting space around a circumference of the valve to provide heat dissipation effects.
The disclosed apparatus for cooling a fuel injector is directed to improvements in the existing technology.